by Holly
This Chicken Marsala recipe is not only crazy easy to make, it’s better than any fancy Italian restaurant!
Tender chicken breasts are browned and cooked in simple one-pan mushroom wine sauce! Perfect over pasta with crusty bread.
Chicken Marsala
What is Chicken Marsala? This Italian-inspired dish is very popular for good reason. Chicken in a mushroom wine sauce is quick to make and great over fresh pasta.
MARSALA
Marsala is a type of Sicilian fortified wine, similar to sherry or port. It is the base ingredient of the sauce in this recipe. Marsala comes in both sweet and dry versions (you want to buy dry Marsala for this recipe).
Other ingredients for Chicken Marsala include mushrooms, shallots (or onion), thyme, and butter.
CHICKEN BREASTS
The best Chicken Marsala uses chicken fillets. Chicken fillets are thin pieces of chicken breast that cook quickly and evenly.
If you have only whole chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise.
- Start with boneless, skinless breasts and your sharpest thin bladed knife.
- Using a paper towel, firmly grab and hold the thinnest end of the breast.
- Slice toward the thickest end, horizontally, so you wind up with two even halves.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
This easy recipe comes together in a few stages. Here’s all you do:
- Pound chicken breasts to ¼ inch thickness and dredge in flour (per recipe below). Brown on the stovetop.
- For Sauce: In the same pan (you want the flavor from all those browned chicken bits), add shallots or onions, thyme, and mushrooms.
- Marsala Sauce: Add the Marsala wine and remaining sauce ingredients and reduce. Serve with the chicken.
This dish doesn’t traditionally contain cream however to make a creamy chicken marsala, substitute 1/3 cup of heavy cream for the same amount of chicken broth.
What to Substitute for Marsala
If possible, try to use marsala because, of course, any substitutions will change the flavors of the dish (although the below ideas will still be delish).
- Madeira wine
- sherry or port
- white wine
Crock Pot Directions
You can make a crock pot Chicken Marsala. You don’t even have to fillet the breasts for this version (in fact thicker or even bone in is better). Just place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for six.
Then make a cornstarch and water slurry to thicken the sauce, and serve over pasta, for a super yummy and easy dinner.
What to Serve With Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala sauce is very rich and flavorful, and a starch completes the meal perfectly. You can serve it over angel hair pasta to fill the plate.
Serve this creamy chicken marsala over pasta with a side of garlic bread and a big fresh Italian Salad.
To complete the presentation, plate it up with some roasted broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts. And don’t forget a crusty, rustic bread, or 30 Minute Dinner Rolls to sop up the sauce.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Chicken Thighs – easy and juicy as can be
- Chicken Parmesan – classic Italian made easy
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas – so delicious!
- Chicken Lasagna – comfort food
Did you love this Chicken Marsala? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Chicken Marsala
Prep Time 7 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian, MediterraneanIngredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless-skinless 5-6 oz each
- ½ cup flour
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 small shallot diced (or onion)
- 8 ounces mushrooms white or brown
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
- Pound chicken to ¼" thick (you can cut them in half if they're very large). Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
- Preheat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove chicken and place on a plate.
- In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme and shallot. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and cook 1 minute more.
- Add Marsala wine and broth and simmer about 3 minutes, until thickened and bubbly.
- Place chicken back into the pan and simmer 2-3 minutes or until hot.
- Garnish and serve over pasta.
Very easy and above all delicious !! Thx for sharing these incredible recipes, Holly. This is my go to site now !
Holly, this chicken Marsala recipe was outstanding! I made it in the crockpot, the smell was intoxicating! I could not wait to try it! I did add cream to thicken the sauce and served it over mashed potatoes. I have never made this before but I will definitely be making it again and again! Thank you, Sue
Oh boy Sue, that sounds so delicious!
I would love to join i love too cook
We’d love to have you Joy! To receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a signup box.
This looks delicious however I’m allergic to mushrooms. Any suggestions for substitutes?
You could leave them out or try replacing with fennel, eggplant, or roasted cauliflower for a similar flavor Angela.
Very easy recipe, great taste, Thanks.
We will want more sauce. Should I just double the recipe?
Yes, that should work just fine, you may need to add a few minutes to the cook time.
My husband kept telling me that it was the best meal I’d ever made and he’s not even that fond of chicken! He also said that it was “restaurant quality” and to “hold on to this recipe”. When I do make this again, I will increase the amount of sauce I make with it. It “probably” would have been enough without the pasta, but if serving serving with pasta, you will definitely want more sauce. Also, I did not have the Marsala wine. Using the dry white and brandy combination was perfect for us. Thank you, Holly!
Yay! That is great to hear Ronald!
Every bite my husband said….”this is so good”. Used half the amount of chicken breast but full amount of sauce. He told me to tell you!
So glad he enjoyed it Joan!
Great recipe!!
Every thing was as advertised. My restaurant go to for Chicken Marsala closed over a year ago. This is every bit as good and takes no time. Thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Candace!
Hi Holly,
I prepared your Marsala Chicken for supper this evening and it was delicious! I would definitely double the sauce the next time I make this and increase the wine a little. Thank you for sharing your lovely delicious recipes. I really appreciate and love all your recipes.
Barb
So glad you loved it Barb!
Such flavor and oh so good. Made it for my husband who is Italian. He loved it.
Thanks for the recipe.
So yummy and easy as written. I really wanted more mushrooms and sauce so next time I am doubling that. Thanks for a great and clearly written recipe!
I made this tonite and it was delicious and easy. Thank you!
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Van!
This was a very flavorful recipe. I will make this again. I also only used 2 chicken breasts with the required mushrooms; I used 4 stalks of fresh thyme but it was not enough. Also, used 3/4c masala and 1/2 chicken broth. Also, next time, I will not add the 1 1/2T of flour. It made the sauce too thick once it was cooked down the 5 minutes. This is definitely a keeper!
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the marsala recipe Dee Dee!
Love this recipe! We like a lot of sauce so even though we only had 3 breasts we made the sauce as if we had 4. This recipe is a keeper!
So glad to hear that Cindy! Personally I think the sauce is the best part – having extra of that is perfect!
Love your recipe
So glad you love it Cindy!
Made chicken marsala for lunch today…awesome ….thank you!
I am so glad you liked the recipe Lucy!
Great recipe
Thanks Naty!!
I love all your resepis
Thanks Connie!
I love Marsala! Yours sound delicious!
Thank you so much Gina, I hope you love it!
Do you use sweet marsala wine? Thanks!
We use dry marsala for this recipe.
thank you so much for all the delicious and easy recipes. i’ve made so many of them and all have been a hit with the family. love what you’re doing.
Thanks Irene! We are so happy to hear that!
Goodmoring Holly I see that you have recipes in e-book but I would rather have it in an actual book. Not good with computers. So can you send me the book on it instead. Thank you for your time.
I don’t have a book available at this time Gloria. Please enjoy my recipes on Spend With Pennies!